Fall Prevention: Increasing Awareness and Preventive Care in Older Adults

Falls in community-dwelling older adults are significant health concerns and continues to be on the rise. Those with a history of falls have a higher risk of subsequent falls. However, many are not open to discussing falls and fall-related topics, especially with their healthcare providers (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017). A review of the literature revealed a lack of being cognizance of the major risk factors which are mostly related to age, medication, and the environment. It was noted that barriers to the available evidence-based fall prevention interventions could be overcome by adequate education and a patient-centered and collaborative approach. This project developed and piloted the use of post-discharge calls and a fall-risk education tool to increase the awareness of fall-risk factors and as a step towards empowering older adults to be proactive in fall prevention strategies. The goal was to provide an educational opportunity to reach older adults after discharge to increase their awareness to fall risk factors and to further seek helpful resources in the community, especially from their primary care provider. This would foster patient-centered, preventive, collaborative care for this population. A prospective benefit is the extension of this awareness and education to the family members, caregivers, and other support systems. The expected outcome was a reduction in falls, which would translate to a reduction of healthcare cost and improve safety and quality of life in older adults. Promotion of education and preventive care is an important aspect of healthcare and best practice for Nurse Practitioners as well as a priority in healthcare. This pilot study yielded positive feedback from the participants and revealed the education tool as a relevant and informative reminder about falls